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[RC] Now Ga. Hurricane-itis - Laurie DurginMy power came back finally today at 1:30, and that was because I took a mini lukwarm 4" bath from the remainer of the water in my water heater which had been off (too much load for our 10 hp generator we bought for essentials after Opal 10 years ago.) I had to go do a pt job, so couldn't go all "hurricaney smelling".First we lost power during Frances for 20 hours-- then 22 hours this time. Now the 'subdivison ' people 10 miles from here only lost it about 15 minutes.... But any kind of big storm and we do..and we are on the end of the line..real low prority. We have lots of trees around the spindly pines and poplars 60 feet or so doing their bent double dance. Wind gusts at tleast in the 50's , both times I cleand up the pastures with 4-8 ft branches--I started to pick some up while still have some wind , almost got one dropped on me. Horses holed up in stalls with doors open. I waited to drag hay down till I had rain coming Thursday, and then son and I dragged a tarp of hay from the roundbale and put it in the stalls... They didn't come out till Friday, then it was donkey first. The power company called at 9pm to see if we had power, only 2 reported ,of at least 7 homes without.... I said nope, not on yet,(we watch the neighbors security lights to check --and husband went and checked with switchover). At 10pm, my daughter called for help. Her barn at "Huntcliff" stables is on an island in the Chattahoochee river. End of a country club subdivsion and part of it for 30 years or so. Had never flooded barn, but the arenas, road, paddocks do flood ,and it has flooded twice this last year--which has been a first...very discouraging . I had warned her about the amount of rain coming her way. But they lost power and couldn't watch the news and for some reason the corp of engineers or no one warned them to evacuate like they did the other two times. Her trainer/partner waited till dark to decide. Suddenly they got couple hours of intense rain (I heard reports of 8"--though some channels said less--8" sounds right by my measurement too.) The river was rising fast. They called everyone to help get the horses out. She orginally thought they'd just have to take the horses that didn't have stalls, cause the paddocks would flood, but it was pretty evident soon they'd have to take all 50 out. My husband and son left at 10:30 to go help, though we only have a 2 h. now. They barely got them out..she couldn't take a headcount for sure till today. Two trucks dropped their trannnies and had to unload and reload. (my husband said one had a chip, and overloaded the trannie --not enough torque to make the hill--the island road goes almost straight up into the bluff the subdivision is on). One guy got semi crushed by a trailer backing up in the dark, he saw it moving but he was standing by the post and didn't move, he got pinned--but seems to be ok alst I heard) They got them to Wills Park-- and was going to have to get hay and stuff out to them today. She sounded pretty discouraged, they lease the barn, and had just spent 20,000$ getting the arenas fixed with new fencing and footing---and all the jumps floated away even though they put them in the arena--they lost a couple earlier this year to another flood... I had warned my daughter , "no horse is worth dying for , remember that". She didn't go after the last ones as it was too deep, but 5 big guys did. They had to walk the fenceline holding on in 3 feet of water to get the last 5 horses out.They last ones were freaking and they couldn't catch them, so my son says" lets just herd them out" and they managed to do that and the people waiting on the other side managed to catch them and get them up the road. Seems the horses are worth around 2,000,000 total. So I try to sleep with generator sounding like a train, even though it it outside and down by the basement, didn't sleep hardly at all ,was worrrying and praying they didn't get swept away--then the power company lady calls...I wake hearing the phone in the other room, she wants to know if the power is still off, I stumble over to window," still off" I mumble-- back to trying to sleep... dogs wake me, I hear my son shssing the dogs, it's about 4 am. so I realise they are home... get filled in in the morning...our horses are ok, farrier actually came like an hour early...winds are blowing I think, not great time for this, but they take it well, except a gust of 35 mph or so that starts bending them, snapping branches and whipping the tarp on the car around...We actually got thru shoes...I just kept real calm with them. BTW our microwave and refriderator and well and a tv and lights do ok on our generator.So I bought tv dinners, canned soup, and had fruit, yogurt and salad stuff---course today was my sons birthday.... ..Can't imagine what Flordians have to go thru...though Opal left us without power for 10 days..I remember trying to get clothes clean and cold baths and cooking on a propane camping store.... Oh, and my dogs didn't want to go outside during the storm either--I forced the labs out (old girls)--one is my storm predictor,she tries to hide under bed or in my closet, but we boarded the bed off ,(she was scratching the wood to bad), and getting dog hair all over the bottom rack of the clothes --so now she 'hides' in our bathroom next to the tub). But the young terriers left presents on the bathroom rug and front door mat.(prior owner 'trained' one on puppy pads by the door;( Went out to block sides of my arena from losing footing, with landscape timbers, still had torrents , 2 feet in the 'dry' streambed, and lower easement was covered by water from the hill flowing about 4" deep on a 100x75 foot area as it went thru the fence. My 'tarp anchors held"(paint buckets filled with water tied together by 8 foot of electric fence tape )that I put over my 3 roundbales that were on a hill. they stayed covered.I had tryed to get everything tied down good... Looks like Jeannne may come this way too...sigh...but I am glad I don't live in Florida.. my uncle faired pretty good in Port St. Lucie , only lost shingles, he has a concrete block constructed house that is older.... _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! 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